"Publishing means creating spaces for the mind" Gerd Hatje, founder of Hatje Cantz
Our goal is to discover the world‘s best, most interesting art, architecture, and photography to feature in our program, which is shaped by art historian and publisher Annette Kulenkampff, architectural historian and manager of the Berlin office, Cristina Steingräber; and printing and photography expert Markus Hartmann.
Apart from the many proposals for new books that come in every day from artists, museums, and galleries, we also make finds in studios and exhibitions, or at biennials and art fairs. Frequently, enthusiasm is very high, and it is interesting to see if the arguments in favor of the various proposals can live up to Hatje Cantz’s standards. We publish a wide spectrum of titles, covering old art to the most recent movements, but all of them have one thing in common: they are of the highest artistic quality.
As the years go by, we continue to develop close, personal relationships with artists, photographers, architects, curators, and museum directors. Because we specialize in producing publications for important exhibitions, we have become one of the leading publishers of international art catalogues. Thanks to this global network, we are able to present an exciting program twice a year, and each one draws attention from all over the world.
Schliessen
In 1945 typesetter Gerd Hatje, who was born in Hamburg in 1915, founded Humanitas Publishing in Calw. Shortly afterward, he renamed the company Gerd Hatje Publishing. In the 1950s and ‘60s Hatje began concentrating on the great painters, sculptors, and architects. Meetings and friendships with artists such as Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Jean Miró, Alberto Giacometti, Max Ernst, Le Corbusier, and many other renowned artists ensued over the years.
After Hatje sold his publishing company to the Dr. Cantz’sche printing company in 1990, the merger led to the formation of Hatje Cantz, which has been headed by publisher Annette Kulenkampff since 1999. Gerd Hatje was honored many times for his accomplishments. He died on July 24, 2007, at the age of 92.
